Saturday Night

From Dallas to San Antonio to Houston and all towns around and between, The Emotions have entertained hundreds of thousands of people in the state of Texas. They hold more attendance records in the area than any other band ever and continue to set records at their show frequently. They also perform at private parties, corporate parties, rodeos, weddings, church picnics and charity events.

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Pat Green begins @ 11:00 pm

Pat Green has finally come full circle -- and all the way back Home. After rising through Texas' college-town and dancehall scene years ago, Green earned himself major-label support in Nashville and became the poster child of Texas music for a whole generation of fans. His list of achievements includes over 2 million albums sold, three Grammy nominations and a sold out Houston Astrodome.

But after releasing six albums in eight years, sending singles like "Wave on Wave" and "Let Me" up the charts, touring with powerhouses like Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban and dealing with accusations of "selling out," the meat grinder of mainstream stardom proved to be too much. He was spent.

"I felt so much pressure during the years I was with the big record labels to put out a record almost every year," he explains. "There was a constant loop of having to be creative with new music, and that's just not my style. I like it to happen when it happens."

Now, after breaking the cycle for a three-year recharge, Green is back in his comfort zone and playing by his own rules again. His new independent album Home is his first set of originals in several years, and directly speaks to the hardcore fans that have been with him since the beginning.

Featuring a mature country sound that is both modern and exposes his roots for all to see, his new tunes are full of ringing acoustic guitars, slippery steel and dobro, wailing fiddles and heartfelt, personal lyrics, making Home the return to form many fans have been waiting for.

Of 13 new songs, Green co-wrote seven with big names like Scooter Carusoe, Liz Rose and Chris Stapleton, while six more were pulled from A-listers like Jessi Alexander, Brett and Jim Beavers, Chuck Cannon, Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne.

The album begins with the title track, boldly tackling the singer's contentious mainstream rise and any lingering naysayers right off the bat. Green doesn't regret taking his shot at the big time -- and says he had a lot of fun doing it -- but he does understand why some fans felt left out in the cold.

"I was blind to the game, I sang the wrong songs, and disappeared for way too long," he sings. "But I've finally found my way home."

With that out of the way, Green gets down to business, laying out a series of songs aimed straight toward his core fan base in the Lone Star state, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

The album's first single, "Girls From Texas," is a prime example, and also features the first of Home's stellar guest appearances. A sugary, grown-up lullaby that explains why Texan girls are just a little bit better than the rest, the track spent 10 weeks on top of the Texas Music chart. Green calls recording the song face-to-face with Lyle Lovett a highlight of the whole project.

According to Green his time off was very much needed, but even though he always intended to return, it still feels like a risk.

"There's a lot of fear, of course, and a lot of 'Is anybody interested? Has the landscape changed so much that I can't have an impact?'" he admits. "It's a mix of excitement and fear, but it’s a welcome challenge."

Mainstream country may have changed, but Green is back in his groove, back to loving and making music on his own terms and happier than ever. And that's a recipe for a comeback of epic proportions.

"I think I'm having the best year of my life," he says. "I feel happy and I feel smarter now. I look back and I wish I could go back in time and tell myself to slow down a little bit, but the truth is life is just enjoying the passing of time, as James Taylor says. There's a lot of drama and there's mistakes and you've gotta get through all of it to get to what you're looking for."